Live 'Drone Tracer Tech' in play for this week's TOUR Championship

After a successful debut at the Travelers Championship on CBS in late June, the PGA TOUR’s live drone tracer technology will continue to be implemented for all three FedEx Cup playoff events, which began on NBC Sports with the St. Jude Championship in Memphis.

At this weekend’s TOUR Championship, the TOUR and NBC Sports will also use augmented-reality graphics from the live moving drone, supported by partners Bolt6, a cloud-based technology provider, and Virtual Eye, the sports division of New Zealand-based Animation Research Ltd.

“We had a great [tournament] and are looking forward to the next two weeks and the Presidents Cup,” says Jon Freedman, SVP, media broadcasting, PGA TOUR. “We are off to a tremendous start with NBC Sports, and the bells and whistles will continue to get better and better as we go through the FedExCup Playoffs.”

Although the PGA TOUR would like to have the drone tracer technology available every week, the technology cost is high. For 2025, the TOUR will continue to target several signature events to integrate the technology.